DEQ plans public meetings to discuss 'fracking'

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) -- Michigan environmental regulators plan three public meetings in the coming week to discuss what officials say are widespread misconceptions about oil and gas development, and critics of a process known as "fracking" say they'll be ready.

The Department of Environmental Quality has been flooded with questions and concerns about hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," which involves pumping water, sand and chemicals underground to break open shale rock and release natural gas, spokesman Brad Wurfel said. It is controversial in many states, with opponents contending it pollutes air and groundwater, although the industry and many regulators say the technique is safe when done properly.

Officials with the DEQ and the Department of Natural Resources will host meetings Tuesday in Troy, Wednesday in Muskegon and Thursday in Traverse City. They're being held in advance of a May 9 auction of rights to explore for gas and oil on state-owned land in 17 counties.

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"We needed a forum where we could cut through the fear-mongering and the hype and the misinformation," Wurfel said.

Companies have used fracking on 12,000 wells in Michigan in the past 50 years without harming the environment because the state has strong regulations that are rigorously overseen, he said.

But opponents say the industry now is targeting deeper deposits and using a horizontal drilling method that will require significantly more water.

"Hundreds, perhaps thousands of new wells could be coming, and it could have a huge impact on our water system," said Jim Nash, water resources commissioner for Oakland County who has convened his own meetings on the subject. He said he's worried about a number of potential problems, from pollution of lakes and ponds to truck traffic and noise.

Wurfel said there are no plans to use fracking in Oakland County because the area's geography isn't suited for it.

An opposition group is seeking petition signatures for a ballot initiative to outlaw horizontal fracking. LuAnne Kozma, its campaign director, said supporters would attend the state meetings to "correct the record."